Drone disrupts CalFire air space at Sand Fire
By Dan Whitcomb, Reuters
A private drone trying to film a wildfire that has charred nearly six square miles in Northern California briefly disrupted firefighting efforts, although workers had gained the upper hand against the blaze, officials said on Monday.
Fire officials spotted the drone over the Sand Fire on Sunday and immediately called police to find the drone’s owner and have the toy grounded to avoid a possible mid-air collision, a California fire official said.
“That drone was flying within our air space and was a hazard for our aircraft,” said CalFire spokesman Kevin Lucero. “It essentially inhibited some of our operations going on.”
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office told the Sacramento Bee it was investigating the incident. It said the drone’s owner was a hobbyist trying to film the blaze.